Hail, King
by Weaver of Silver
Summary: What if a very different, weathered and (almost) wise Zaraki came to the Soul Society one day to challenge a Gotei 13 captain to battle for a title? An attempt to adress a glaring problem in canon by adding a lazy thuggish time-traveller into the mix.
1. Chapter 1

**Hail, King**

 **Chapter 1: Homecoming**

It was a usual sunny day in Seireitei when everything suddenly changed.

There was no ominous presence in the horizon, nobody quietly singing "Cometh the hour" in the background, no threat from a hidden enemy in the Soul Society. Yet, many felt that something was wrong.

Even if no crisis was there and the reasons were perfectly peaceful, Gotei was short of two captains at the moment, a glaring weakness. Hopefully, after an unexpected promotion filled the vacancy in Twelfth Division, everything would get better soon. Or… would not?

Unohana was the first to come to the open ground near the First Division barracks, long before the official summons came. A shinigami would not simply live long enough to become a captain without sharpening his intuition to the maximum. But for the most dreaded woman of the Soul Society, the ability to find a massacre site even before it started was the second nature.

She felt a faint, but strangely overwhelming coppery smell and strange familiarity with a massive figure just across the clearing. The massive man with broad shoulders, but so extremely tall that he looked almost gauntly in his build. Long unkempt hair, strange predatory grin, scar across the face, and piercing killer eyes: definitely her brand of male. She started feeling some interest.

A standard-issue (or probably just looking standard, because the uniforms of that size were never supplied properly, she knew) shinigami uniform, covered by a captain-style haori with long gashes and cuts in it. He had his sword unsheathed, and it looked similarly old and weathered too. It was the overall impression from the man: shabby and worn, but still able to withstand literally everything the world could throw at him. Weathered, but not yet broken.

Yes, it would be a shame when he dies.

She smiled serenely.

* * *

Kyoraku and Ukitake, inconspicuous as ever, were second to get out and see minutes-long staring contest between Unohana and the man. Chojiro, the timeless right hand of the Captain Commander, chose that moment to exit the barracks himself; no doubt he was spying quietly before. The insidious bastard usually knew everything that happened in Seireitei even before it had been planned by the culprits and often chose to intervene (especially about Kyoraku's voyages into the bedrooms of noble ladies).

"Ukitake-san, may it be the same Ryoka your squad reported decimating the Hollow population in the world of the living?" Shunsui recalled the unabridged version of the report and was not sure; the resident shinigami was too shocked to remember anything of importance. Large, bloodthirsty, and terrifying – it could refer to a plenty of things, not necessary even a soul.

"It may be him or not, but the description matches, Sasakibe-san."

"It's also very strange how these souls have managed to get through Ninth Division patrols unnoticed."

"Souls, Sasakibe-san?" He saw only one large guy there.

Chojiro frowned as if missing something.

"Hello, Shun-shun!" The kiddy chirping came from behind his back, startling all three. No kid should be able to creep behind a captain-level shinigami unnoticed, yet she did. "Hi! Nice to see you two, Ukki-san and Mustaches-san!" And judging from her childishly mischievous laughs, the pink-haired girl did it on purpose.

"You too are waiting for Ken-chan sparring?" She was giggling, as if seeing high-level shinigami battles was the most hilarious thing ever. Kyoraku already pitied he had not drank a bottle of sake in the morning: the kid was very cute, but her manner was very irritating.

"Ken-chan?" Ukitake, the ever-friendly one, was the first to smile sweetly and ask.

The child was visibly sad they could not understand the simplest things, but diligently pointed her finger on the stranger, then on herself. "This is Zaraki Kenpachi! And I am Yachiru Kusajishi! We'll be having fun here!"

Kenpachi? Yachiru? Three man shared a look of concern: such name-taking would not find any appreciation from Unohana. Hell, she would be in fury, and that was a strategic risk to anyone around.

But then all the Gotei captains, headed by the Commander Yamamoto, exited from the barracks, and everyone was distracted by his fierce gaze.

Unohana, though, did not stop staring at the Ryoka.

* * *

"So, you want to battle a captain for the position. I thought that this law was forgotten for centuries outside Gotei 13." Captain Commander's displeasure was obvious from his booming voice. Kyoraku was sure than more than half-millennium passed since an outsider had invoked this obscure rule.

"Why?" Ryoka looked perplexed, as if he was somehow sure it was a common knowledge.

"Because I killed every one that tried." Yachiru Unohana, the Bloody Queen, plainly spoke. "Two or three of them even won against other captains. But you will have to fight me afterwards even if you challenge other officer, Zaraki-san."

Adult Yachiru smiled with one of her legendary creepy smiles. Little Yachiru chirped happily loud enough to show her fascination with the idea to everyone in an area. Their similar interest in a bloodbath was simply disturbing.

Ryoka's grin widened, but said nothing. His faint reiatsu suddenly expanded manifold, sending the men outside the training ground to their knees. Even the new Captain of the Twelfth Division paled; it's either that he was not used to such massive spiritual pressures or… the famous scientist felt something dangerous within it. As the reiatsu pressure nearly reached Yamamoto-dono's level, the latter option made Kyoraku very uneasy: he learned to trust Urahara-kun in obscure things.

"Waited for the chance for years. I will fight till you pass out from exhaustion, Retsu-kun." That pet name was a sexual innuendo if he ever saw one. Kyoraku was almost sure he heard Unohana grinding her teeth.

"But I don't have to fight you first, haven't you said? You, the glasses boy!"

And only then everything made sense.

It was not long, only a decade or so, since the bespectacled youngster was able to replace Seinosuke Yamada, the universally hated previous Fourth Division Captain. Gentle, efficient, and much, much more polite, he was popular in the Soul Society. Maybe, despite rather young age, he was even among the Gotei 13 most popular: his wise demeanor, pretty looks, and clanless origin made him the iconic figure for the progressive politics. And progressive politics literally meant troubles.

Even being centuries older than the most of the current Central 46, he and Ukitake were much more neutral on the issue, neutral enough to think of the ways to prevent a political assassination of their fellow Captain. However, none of them expected it to happen so soon and to be so blatant.

He looked at Yamamoto for approval, but the old man shook his head swiftly. The right of challenge stood there at the foundation of their society even before the first bloody days of the Seiretei, when only conflicting warbands were there to fight Hollows. Only few people in Soul Society were still alive to remember the times now, and most of them would simply annihilate any one attempting to overthrow such an old reputable tradition.

The healer was still hesitant to come out.

"Starting with the weakest, insolent youngster? If you maim or kill him, I will _personally_ burn you and your masters both. This is my promise." Old man Yama chose to warn the Ryoka, and then prompted the challenged Captain forward with a mere word.

"Aizen!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

A different Yachiru is not a timid Captain of the pacifistic Fourth division, but the (in)famous Bloodied Queen, the first and only Kenpachi. Another Yachiru hides from captains in plain sight and squeals in glee for a massacre to come. Names can get so confusing.

Different Zaraki challenges not a combat-ready tenth Kenpachi, but an innocent healer. Different Aizen is not a nefarious lieutenant, but a harmless doctor and babbling politician. Or is he?

And what caused this mess?

 **Two chapters to come.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hail, King**

 **Chapter 2:** **Shattered Blade**

Two shinigami stood in the clearing face-to-face.

Twenty steps, the distance for the cautious: even a master-level Shunpo, Kido or far-reaching Zanpakto ability would not cover such distance before the opponent could react. It was a basis, a ground to start planning all the further battle. A correct next step would be to study the opponent with light strikes and commit to a real attack only when the distance would be more appropriate.

Zaraki knew that axiom, he saw shinigami fights for ages. He just didn't give a flying damn: Kenpachi were ones to create or destroy traditions, not to follow them blindly.

Obviously, Aizen was not a traditionalist too. He half-fell forward, approaching quickly while laying a free palm on the hilt of his sword.

Iaido, a rare art in shinigami world, emphasized drawing the sword and making the first strike with one perfect motion. Artistic, highly aesthetic, and nearly useless in a real fight; not the best art for such brutal times. Kenpachi felt something ephemeral blooming in the air, a faint flair of world better than a mundane reality: brighter colours, purer sounds, and fresher fragrance of the grass beneath. The world was more beautiful than it was for ages, almost surreally impressive. Was it due to the fact he was fighting again at last?

Kenpachi smashed his weathered blade downwards and released the tight hold he had on his reiatsu, obliterating both the opponent and half the training ground with a wave of concentrated yellow energy…

He felt as if something shifted and the colors paled just a small bit and the blade was strangely uncomfortable in Kenpachi's hand. Still, he had other problems to deal with: Aizen charged furiously in hope to finish the duel with a single slash.

Kenpachi caught a downward strike of Kyoka Suigetsu with a bare hand, barely drawing any blood, and impaled its owner with his own sword…

World blinked.

Kenpachi blocked Kyoka Suigetsu with the middle of his blade and slashed with the free hand, spread fingers blinding Aizen mid-strike…

Kenpachi cut the other captain by half with a crude downward slash before Aizen upward motion could even connect…

Kenpachi gripped his sword tighter…

Kenpachi…

…

* * *

Zaraki grinned and expressed his thoughts loudly.

"You suck at this illusion thing: she feels different in my hand, and I don't dare calling her a blade. You don't know the name, do you?"

 _"Drink, Nozarashi._ "

Decades and centuries before, in a barely remembered age that was soon to come back, he despised any supernatural abilities and tricks in favour of a direct confrontation. It was before he met those despicable bastards quincies for the first time and knew how shockingly uncomfortable was the fight against their fancy powers. How could one kill an opponent when every slash only causes a wound on himself?

In the long solitude that followed, Zaraki was not able to find much new wisdom and inner peace. He was actually rather skeptical about that: a man like him could not suddenly become a saint or a sage no matter how much time he spends not eviscerating things. No, what former Kenpachi really gained was a deeper insight into his own passions and abilities. His and his zanpakto's.

What he always did was beating things. Cutting, slashing, or ripping: it was the only thing he was really good at.

It was no wonder that his one ability was also the only thing he loved to do. Or maybe he was simply so fortunate: Zaraki could not imagine living with some fancy flowery ability. Restricting his power to make fights more interesting for millennium was bad enough already. Discarding the only thing he could do well simply because it went into the domain of mystic stuff too much? He would rather lose to a cripple than do that now, after knowing his zanpakto.

Simply put, he cut things. Everything. Slashing through an asteroid was a straight feat that really should have not even required release (though at that moment he was sure it did). His shikai could cut far more ephemeral things: colors, words, connections. Zaraki was still not fully aware what really was its limit: when he tried hard enough, everything he wanted to cut eventually yielded.

 _He searched for a right angle to slash._

Kenpachi did not see Aizen, neither he felt his own body anymore. The only thing he sensed now was zanpakto, Kyoka Suigetsu, the bright center of a web composed of a thousand glowing reaiatsu ribbons. Some connected zanpakto to its owner, much more of them linked it to the viewers outside the training ground, and few were attached to Zaraki.

Kenpachi guessed that those were necessary to create its illusions. Or just somehow useful, because he had no other target to slash at, only the ribbons growing out of Kyoka Suigetsu.

 _He cut through everything._

Then the whole world broke like glass, and everything was simple and bleak again. It was evident now that Aizen stood twenty steps away, seemingly unmoved by the failure. He really didn't move a step since the start of their small duel, but the grip on released zanpakto's handle was almost desperate.

Fancy words were the last to leave Kenpachi.

 _Zaraki grinned and slashed._

 _He felt real at last._

 _It was good._

* * *

Aizen had a very limited experience in hopeless battles.

Sosuke was a prodigy, he pursued his own agenda, and he always had a plenty of tricks hidden in his wide sleeves and behind his calm smile. He was always far above his peers, and even the battles lost for the sake of disguise would be fairly easy if he discarded the long-cultivated façade.

Even before Aizen merged with the Hogyoku, he could take out most of the Gotei 13 captains without even resorting to the Kyoka Suigetsu powers: his carefully trained speed, reiatsu control, and the whole library of Kido would simply crush the lesser captains. Yamamoto, Unohana, Kyoraku (especially if the latter two had at least half of the skills they casually demonstrated in this world), or Kurosaki-elder would hold the ground in a fair fight – if Aizen decided to fight fairly. Maybe, Ukitake on one of his better days, or Gin, if he stopped fooling around and went for a kill…

In the previous life, Ichimaru was a vicious fighter with a plenty of his own dirty tricks, and the only person eventually able to pierce all Aizen's defenses. Dying was painful and, more importantly, really scary: for a moment he thought that the fading light and disintegrating reiatsu would be the ultimate endpoint – enough to lash out hysterically afterwards. It was an uncharacteristic mistake and a waste of valuable resources, but he was too shaken by the experience.

This time, Aizen carefully avoided crossing young prodigy's path even slightly. In a twisted manner, in an own strange way he made an apology – and also played safe, not stepping on a sleeping snake. But the snake and its venom were irrelevant now.

Because Kenpachi Zaraki, the unrefined brute with only physical strength and immense reiatsu was never a real opponent; no, a narrow-minded idiot with no skill or discipline would not even stand a chance. He had too many weaknesses, his defense was full of glaring openings, and a mere brawler, no matter how good he was, could not beat more harmoniously skilled specialist of similar aptitude.

Yet, Aizen was there in the defensive…

" _Raikoho!"_

…because Zaraki was the only shinigami able to block away sixty-level Hado with bare hands and sheer stupidity. Even he had a hard time, muscles bulging and arm slightly scorched, but the yellow lightning failed to slow him down more than a bit.

The next second Aizen had to dodge a slash of the long heavy blade: in this universe Zaraki was not above using shunpo. Moreover, he released the shikai much earlier and operated the long unwieldy cleaver proficiently; indeed, so proficiently that for Sosuke it was no longer a matter of leaving his cover intact, but a matter of leaving the battle in one piece. If only the illusion on the bystanders was not hopelessly broken in the first moments of their duel…

Hasty illusions he was able to summon while parrying desperately were simply useless: as soon as he sent the reiatsu, Zaraki slashed his massive cleaver and he felt them shatter. And Aizen wasn't willing to cross his blade with the monstrosity able to cut through Kyoka Suigetsu's illusions and Danku with the same ease; especially with the carefully self-imposed limitations he was not yet willing to discard.

A wise hawk always hides his claws. Yet, Sosuke preferred risking at least some his secrets from the fellow shinigami to discovering whether instant regeneration would heal the injuries from that sword.

The meek, overspecialized, and generally harmless boy, barely able to use Hado 63 with no incantation, had to go. The new Sosuke Aizen would be a Kido Master not only in title, but in practice as well. And if somebody was suspicious why Aizen had never the full extent of his skills before… he had prepared a feasible explanation long ago, along with proper evidence and even some half-erased records.

With that decision, he could show reiatsu and skills to spam high-level Bakudo with no preparation. And Aizen had a proper combo to use.

" _Bakudo Number Sixty One: Rikujokoro!"_

The yellow plates summoned by the spell could not stop Kenpachi (who just have batted away a hado of similar level), but it made him stumble and unable to use the strange-powered blade for a second.

" _Bakudo_ _Number_ _Sixty Three: Sajo Sabaku!"_

An additional golden chain was much better in containing the physical strength and gave him enough time to use the highest level spell.

" _Bakudo_ _Number_ _Seventy Nine: Kuyo Shibari!"_

Once, in the previous life, Aizen was the target of same combination. It worked much better than a simple Bakudo: every successful binding paved the path to the subsequent spell, longer but stronger than the last. In the end it was enough to contain even the strongest foes otherwise able to tear even through the strongest barriers. He was not too proud to learn from his enemies.

But now he had time to play his trump with nothing less than a full incantation.

" _Seeping crest of density! Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Stop your sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with dirt and know your own powerlessness!"_

" _Hado Number Ninety: Kurohitsugi!"_

Just before the black dome of light-bending reishi hid his opponent, Aizen was shocked to notice a violet sun of Kuyo Shibari flicker and disappear. His own attempt to break the same binding failed in the past even despite the aid of dormant Hogyoku.

Probably, even his favourite Black Coffin would not be enough to stop the brutish bastard.

But it didn't matter anymore: Aizen had time to renew his illusion on the captains and lieutenants staring from outside the battleground. Even if he released his full reiatsu and started spamming dragon pillars, nobody would notice it anymore.

So, when the black dome exploded with ghastly yellow light, Aizen decided not to pull his punches anymore.

 _"Bankai!"_

Zaraki, only slightly scratched by the spell, was laughing madly. He was too happy to object.

Ironically, Aizen's thought were almost prophetic: it was not even a full minute before the released blade of Nozarashi cut through a dragon created by Goryutenmetsu, his ultimate offensive spell. Indeed, nobody noticed.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Surprise: even though it seemed differently in the beginning, this chapter was entirely Aizen's perspective.

So, both Zaraki and Aizen remember the other life that was the original story. However, neither the brutish sage nor the scheming megalomaniac understand how much similarities they share.  
Who will win? Who will discover the truth? Who will leave the battleground unmutilated?  
Or, even more importantly, why they both ended up in a parallel universe?  
And, besides my love for surprises, what is the actual reason for the story name?

Review or PM for any additional questions you would like to see answered in the final chapter.

 **The final part of the story that would adress all these issues comes from Zaraki's point of view.** Sadly, he may not be as good with words as he was under Kyoka Suigetsu illusions (and indirectly tapping into Aizen's vocabulary).


End file.
